On September 27, 2007, Fay Hansen wrote:
I’ve learned that most of the CFL’s come from China...how can we be greener on that issue and where to find - hopefuly!- AMERICAN-made CFLs?????
I want energy efficient lighting, but hate the cold light of fluorescents. Can you help?
by David Bergman, 09/18/07David Bergman is principal of David Bergman Architect and owner/designer of Fire & Water Lighting. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and teaches sustainable design at Parsons the New School for Design.
Question: I know that fluorescents are much more energy efficient than standard lightbulbs, and I want to do the right thing for the environment, but I hate the cold, bluish light of fluorescents. Is there a bulb that provides pleasant, natural light but will still save energy and money?
– Maya Leonard, Huntington, NY
Answer: Yes, there is. In fact, there are many. That’s because the fluorescent bulbs you buy now aren’t the same as the ones you had in your basement growing up (unless you’re a lot younger than I am) or in your school classroom.
The new ones are so different that I’ve argued they deserve a different name. Everyone thinks they hate fluorescents when they're actually thinking of the old ones. What’s different, you ask? The two big changes have to do with the electronics and the coatings, and the result is that the new fluorescents don’t buzz and flicker like the old ones, and the colors are much nicer. Some of them can even be dimmed.
Fluorescents now come in many colors as well as different shapes. If you want a fluorescent bulb to give off light like an incandescent, you want a warm color. If the bulbs are marked with a color temperature, look for ones between 2700 and 3000 degrees. At Home Depot, they call them “soft white,” as opposed to “bright white” and “daylight.”
Be aware that “daylight” is not actually warm or similar to incandescent light. To get a handle on this, think about the color of the sky at midday (on a clear day, that is) versus dawn or dusk. Incandescent bulbs are much closer to twilight yellow than noontime blue.
To make matters still more confusing, the color temperature of that warm sunset is actually lower than “cold” daylight. To understand that, think about the color of flames: a blue flame is much hotter than a yellow flame. So a warmer color is a cooler temperature. It’s a mess, I know.
You may also have heard of “full spectrum” bulbs. There’s a variety of opinions on them. Many people profess to feel better under them, but studies don’t tend to support that. You may find them pleasing—or just a form of greenwash.
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) have also gotten much less expensive. So try one out. I bet you’ll like it and might not even be able to tell the difference.
For more information:
GreenHomeGuide’s Ask A Pro article "Should I worry about the mercury in fluorescent lightbulbs?" provides facts about the energy efficiency of fluorescents and gives advice on environmentally safe disposal.
If you need help finding a CFL in the right color, size, and shape, give Environmental Defense's energy-saving lightbulb finder a whirl.
GreenHomeGuide's Ask A Pro archive has answers to dozens of other green home questions from our network of the best and brightest green architects, designers, contractors and consultants across the U.S.
Comments
On September 28, 2007, David Bergman wrote:
This is indeed an issue. As far as I am aware, no CFL’s are made in the US and maybe not in North America—all the ones I know of come from China. So we have embodied energy issues in transportation, as well as some quality control problems. I try to stick with brands that I know of because I have had some not so great experiences with off brands.
But that can be true of incandescent and, especially, halogen, bulbs as well.
On September 28, 2007, Beth Whitaker wrote:
Please tell us about some of the alternative energy-savers in addition to flourescent lights, like LEDs. How do they fit into the conversation about replacing incandescent lights?
On October 1, 2007, LInda Irvin-Craig wrote:
For the old installations of side by side tubular fixtures, mixing colors can reproduce lighting that is close to daylight. In our studio, we placed one cold and one warm light to give a good lighting to guide us in determining accurate colors for our photographic reprints.
On October 1, 2007, David Bergman wrote:
Beth,
Sorry for the delayed response. I had composed a lengthy write up on LEDs and it somehow disappeared into the ether when I clicked submit. So I’ll try to recreate it:
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes, also known as solid state lighting) are a very exciting development, primarily because they have the potential to do what fluorescent bulbs are not very good at: directed light. Fluorescents are great for creating washes or pools of light, but there are times when we something more focused, like a spotlight, and right now our only good option are those nasty incandescents and halogens.
LEDs have been around for a while in technical applications like indicator lights and, more recently, traffic lights. Their advantages are that they can be very energy efficient and last a really long time. Where incandescents last maybe 750 - 1500 hours and CFL’s around 10,000 hours, LEDs are rated at 50,000 - 100,000 hours. (Though the jury is still out on some of the technicalities of this.)
The big problems have been color and cost. We are now starting to see better whites – the early ones were very blue. But cost is still up there. A “regular” household style LED may be more than $50 currently. But not for long, I’d wager. CFL’s used to be a lot more expensive, too.
Though LEDs have the potential to be very energy efficient, many of the current crop are no better, and possibly, worse than fluorescent. But, again, that’s projected to improve greatly in the near future. (Incandescents are usually around 10 - 20 lumens per watt, CFL’s are around 40 LPW and LED’s are projected to get to over 100 LPW.)
Just in the past year or so, we’ve started to see new fixture designs that are LED based. And we’ll soon see LED replacement bulbs that you can substitute for incandescents – hopefully at far less than $50. I tested a few recently and they’re almost ready for prime time.
(You inquired about other energy efficient sources as well. For home use, that’s really it. There are metal halide bulbs, which are very efficient, but they take a long time to turn on. OK for stores and such where the lights stay on all day, but not great when you’re trying to see your way into the bathroom at night without stumbling over your shoes.)
So I’m really excited about LEDs. They’re at the “any day now” stage in which we’re seeing rapid advances and a whole new industry arising. My hope is they’ll be the knock out punch for inefficient incandescents.
On October 6, 2007, John Anderson wrote:
There is quite a bit of “hype” surrounding LEDs, and IMO they are simply no match for CFL’s. We’ve been hearing a “100 lumen/watt” is just around the corner for many years, however there is controversy on what is considered a “lumen” from an LED vs. a halogen. Many cases they are using “luminous flux”, not lumens. If you buy a brand new 5W (2007 technology) white Luxeon Star LED right now, you will get an item of around 25 lumens/watt efficacy. You’ll need to subtract regulator and power-inverter losses from this.
A 5-dollar, made in the USA MR16 halogen gets 25 lumen/watt - and the light quality is top notch. 35 lumens/watt for shorter life MR16’s. CRI near 100. Also low embodied energy compared to LED’s (and all their associated drive electronics) as well.
My company sells both fluorescent and LED’s. I get lots of questions from customers who have read LED data-sheets, and are convinced they can provide general illumination. IMO we are still a major-breakthrough away from that step. The LED “bulb replacement” product I saw a month ago consumes only 1.4 watts. The rub? It only emits 31 lumens!! What can you do with 31 lumens? (not much). Cost $40. Low CRI.
On October 17, 2007, roya stanley wrote:
Recently I planned to remodel my bathroom (I did not because I moved to a different state) and wanted to use compact florescents. However, while there were hundreds of fixture options for incandescent lights, there were only 2 for compact florescents. One of which was very institutional and one was very frilly. Neither of which matched my preferences. When will there be a wider range of fxitures for bathrooms and kitchens that use compact florescents?
On October 17, 2007, David Bergman wrote:
I suspect you were looking at a store or website that hasn’t (sorry) seen the light yet. There definitely are energy efficient bath and kitchen lights available. A quick click into Lighting Universe, an online lighting store that does not focus on green products, found a front page link to Energy Star products that they sell. That then turned up 98 bath and vanity fixtures as well as other types.
A similar link on http://www.bellacor.com, also not a green site, turned up 91 energy efficient bath fixtures.
(I’m not endorsing either of these sites and there are others out there as well.)
Another path is through Energy Star’s site. For kitchen lighting, start at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=fixture_guide.pr_fixtures_guide_kitchen.
I also like the Lighting for Tomorrow site (http://www.lightingfortomorrow.com) where they display years of award winning energy efficient lighting.
Depending on where you live, finding them in local stores maybe more difficult, but that’ll be changing rapidly, too, with chains like Home Depot and Walmart emphasizing eco products now.
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